Archive for July, 2009

Member spotlight

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009


A layout Lisa created using the July Main kit from Crazy Daisy

A layout Lisa created using the July Main kit from Crazy Daisy

Our online Crazy Daisy Family is getting bigger each day. We love seeing all the wonderful things you create using our kits. In fact, we love it so much we want to share your creations and talent with everyone! Here’s our very first member spotlight, featuring the talented Lisa Hodge.

Lisa Hodge

1. I started scrapbooking … after the birth of my second son in 1996.

2. My favorite scrapbooking product, tool or manufacturer is … oh, WITHOUT A  DOUBT… anything and everything by Tim Holtz and/or Ranger!! Love the vintage and grungy look.

3. My favorite thing to scrapbook about is …  my boys, and everyday life.

4. I scrapbook because …  I love it! I love the papers, inks, and anything to do with it! It is a great stress reliever and it’s a great, constructive hobby!

5. I am the happiest when …  I know that all is well at home and can enjoy that sweet peace when all is good.


An altered tissue box Lisa created

An altered tissue box Lisa created

According to Lisa, “This is an altered tissue box.  I was going to use it for a desktop trash can, but it is too cute for trash…or at least I think so. Those are my boys!

A closer look at the tissue box

A closer look at the tissue box


Send us your layouts, creations or ideas at info@crazydaisykits.com. We’d love to hear from you and spotlight you on our blog!


Mini book madness

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

When it comes to scrapbooking, there is nothing I like more than a mini book. This is one of the reasons we have a mini book in each of our kits. Jennifer and I love us some mini books. I feel so good when I finish one and I feel like I can tackle a mini book in a lot less time than a traditional album. I also love the idea of making themed mini books, like holiday ones or ones dedicated to a specific month or person.

Here’s a look at some of the mini books created using this month’s Crazy Daisy mini book, the Maya Road chipboard star album.

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“Little Treasures” mini book by JJ Sobey

 

"Little Treasures" mini book by JJ Sobey
“Little Treasures” mini book by JJ Sobey

“I decided to cover the little oval tag that was attached, and use that in the album as well. I also grabbed a couple of the Maya Road tickets included with the kit, and added them as dangles, too. This is a brag book for my husband to keep at work, so he has something to make him smile in the middle of the day. I used the Jenni Bowlin rub-on letters and more of the Crate Paper borders to make the title for the cover.

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Since this book is for my husband, he got to chose the pictures, so you may have seen a few of them before. I used some of the border stickers from the Cosmo Cricket sticker sheet. They were easy to trim to the size I needed for the mini.

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Most of the pages I covered with patterned paper, and sanded the edges. But the next one here, I tried out inking the chipboard, then covering it with the Prima rub-ons. I love the effect, but a note of caution. Make sure the ink is bone dry before trying this – other wise the rub-ons just make a mess instead of sticking (ask me how I found this out).

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I also cut apart and used some of the cream daisy trim from the kit on the second page here. It’s nice and flat, and makes an easy embellishment that won’t catch on things. I loved using the Jenni Bowlin and Prima border rub-ons around the photos.”

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“America the Beautiful” minibook, by Grace Tolman

"America the Beautiful" mini book by Grace

"America the Beautiful" mini book by Grace

“This one incorporated the Maya Road star minibook and the patriotic line from Cosmo Cricket.  I think sticking to one paper line keeps a project from being too busy and it also makes everything easy and fast. The papers coordinated well and the stickers was a fun addition too. I even used some of the stickers as a key chain type of embellishment outside of the book. I adhered them to some pattern papers first then punched holes onto the edge and run it through the chain.”

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 ”July Journey” by Kim Whitten

 

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 Have you made a mini book with one of our kits? We’d love to see it and feature here on our blog. Email me and we can make you a Crazy Daisy Superstar!

A Different Perspective

Friday, July 24th, 2009
Lar's pizza lunch somewhere in Utah (photos by Lars Kj'r Larsen)

Lar's pizza lunch some where in Utah (photos by Lars Kj'r Larsen)


I take a lot of pictures. I travel a lot too. Sometimes it’s hard to come up with creative ways to photograph my trips and kiddos with all the picture taking I do.


A little snack in Wyoming

A little snack in Wyoming


One of my colleagues, Lars, is on a cross country road trip right now. He always takes the best photos, so I’m almost giddy with excitement each time an email full of photos from him arrives in my in-box. Lars is quite the traveler, so it’s interesting and amazing to me that his photos never seem boring or trite. The latest batch he sent were titled “Eating our way across America.”

He decided to take photos of all the places he and his brother ate as the headed from Georgia, up to Canada and then out West. It might sound a little odd, but it was a fresh perspective and perfectly told the story of their road trip. There are pictures of breakfast at the hotel. Dinner at roadside dives. Quick breakfasts of coffee and donuts.

Pie in Michigan

Pie in Michigan



When in doubt, change your perspective. You don’t have to take the same pictures, the same way, every time. Switch things up a bit. Be creative. Think long and hard about how you can best tell your story in fresh and fun new way.

August Sneak Peek

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
August is almost here and the August Main kits are all packed and ready to go. All that’s left to do is share a little sneak peek before we reveal the whole kit! So, do you want to see what’s coming? Here’s a little taste of August.
The August 2009 Main Scrapbooking Kit (photo by Kim Whitten)

The August 2009 Main Scrapbooking Kit (photo by Kim Whitten)

Vacation

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

My daughter with her cousins.


I’m on vacation right now. My parents have a ranch in South Eastern Idaho and we’re enjoying the green, wide open spaces. My little girl loves to be here. She runs free; frolics with the cows and horses; rolls in the hay; and relishes in being allowed to get as dirty as she wants.

My little baby loves just being around people, so he’s happy to have all the love and attention. My dad has been smooching on his new grandbaby since we walked through the door.

Life is good. On my trip up here, I stopped in Flagstaff and was able to visit with Jennifer at her parents cabin. We were even able to get a little scrappin’ in … and I pleated some patterned paper (like I mentioned I wanted to in an early post) on a page Jen was working on. I actually didn’t bring my scrapbooking stuff with me. I had it all packed and forgot to load it into my car. So, when I was with Jen, I scrapped some of her pictures!

We played a little with the August main kit, which really made me want to scrap. So much so that I went to into town yesterday and bought a paper trimmer and some adhesive. I figure that’s all I need since I have the August kit in my hot little hands. Once the kids are tucked in bed tonight I can get busy creating.

I’m rambling. My point is that being on vacation has given me a renewed desire to scrap. Every time I take a new picture, I think “Oh, I can’t wait to create a page with that.” I’ve been so busy lately and adjusting to our new little family member, my scrapping has fallen to the wayside. I’m so thrilled to be getting back into a creative groove.


Cooper with his Great-Grandma Pearl

Cooper with his Great-Grandma Pearl

I’m going to start with a page featuring my son and his Great Grandma, who he met for the first time on Sunday. What are you working on today?



New and improved

Monday, July 20th, 2009

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I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we’ve made a few changes to our Web site. The homepage has been updated and looks awesome! We added a slide show of the homepage to feature layouts from our guest designers and the design team members. We’ve also added blog headlines to the homepage as well, that way as soon as you hit the site, you’ll know if there is something new to read on the blog.

I think the best and most important improvement to the site is on the “How it works” page. If you’re not familiar with scrapbooking kit clubs, the whole process of joining the club and getting a membership can be confusing. We think we’ve made it a little clearer to understand with our updated “How it works” page.

The one thing you all need to know is that if you order a subscription, you don’t have to return to the site each month to order your next kit and pay. We’ve reserved a kit for you (for the length of your subscription) and we’ll automatically bill your credit card on the 5th of each month. When you’re subscription runs out, we’ll email you a reminder …so you’ll never run the risk of missing a kit. 

We love it. Tell us what you think … do you love it too?

July Journey Update

Saturday, July 18th, 2009
A peak at Kim's July Journey mini-book

A peak at Kim's July Journey mini-book


Earlier in the month, we showed you all a project that our Design Team Leader Kim Whitten was working on, a mini-book entitled “July Journey”.

Kim is documenting each day in July in a mini-book she created using the Crazy Daisy July Main Kit. Here’s a look at what she’s done so far. Bravo Kim, it looks awesome. I am so inspired by you and your work.


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I want to do a mini-book like this for every month of the year. Wouldn’t that be such an awesome way to document a year in your life?


I heart Maya Road

Friday, July 17th, 2009
A sneak peek from the new Maya Road kraft tag collection (photo from the Maya Road blog, http://mayaroad.typepad.com/mayaroad/)

A sneak peek from the new Maya Road kraft tag and envelope collection (photo from the Maya Road blog, http://mayaroad.typepad.com/mayaroad/)

One of my favorite scrapbooking manufactures is Maya Road.

If you go over the to their company blog right now, you can see some sneak peeks of their summer CHA release. I love, love the new kraft tags and envelopes. Don’t be surprised if you see them pop up in future Crazy Daisy kits. And the little monkey on one of the tags? Adorable! 


A sneak peek from the new Maya Road kraft tag and envelope collection (photo from the Maya Road blog, http://mayaroad.typepad.com/mayaroad/)

A sneak peek from the new Maya Road kraft tag and envelope collection (photo from the Maya Road blog, http://mayaroad.typepad.com/mayaroad/)


What’s your favorite Maya Road product? Personally,  I love their Maya Mists and their albums. They have the best chipboard albums in so many different funny and funky shapes. I like that their chipboard can be altered in so many different ways. No two people will ever have the exact same chipboard accents, since you can paint them; ink them; cover them; distress them … and the list goes on. I like knowing I can make so many of their products “my own.”

If you go over to their blog, they are doing lots of giveaways leading up to CHA.


Try something new

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m always willing to try something new. I’ve bungee jumped on a whim. I’ve jumped out of an airplane. I’ll eat just about anything. But when it comes to scrapbooking, I’m such a creature of habit. I find a tool or technique that I love and then you’ll see it appear on nearly every page I create for an extended period of time. It’s not because I lack creativity. And it’s not because I don’t want to try other things. It’s just that I like what I like and I want to keep doing the things I like.

Anyway. I’ve declared today, try something new day. I’m going to try using some new (or rarely used) techniques when I scrap. I’m going to force myself to step outside my comfort zone. Here’s some of the things I’m thinking about trying:

1. Using more fabric

I love fabric. I can spend hours perusing fabric stores. I buy tons of fabric with the intent of making something (anything) with it and then it sits in my craft room gathering dust. Fabric can be used as a background or as a border to enhance dimension or add texture to your layout. Personally, I’m planning on using old punches to cut various shapes out of some of the fabric I have on hand.

2. Gathering paper or ribbon

I use a lot of stips of various pattern papers when I scrap, and that can get a little boring after awhile. I want to create a new look and I thought I could do this by creating a “gathered” effect with my paper or ribbon. I found a great tutorial to explain just what I’m talking about, check it out here.

3. Make my pages more interactive

Interactive scrapbook pages are layouts that something on them that the reader can manipulate. Some pages have flaps that lift to reveal additional photos or journaling. Some of them have a tab that pulls out to show your text. While still others have mini books that open to show up to nine more photographs for that scrapbook layout. I know … hidden journaling has been around forever, but I’ve just never really jumped on that bandwagon. I think it’s time I tried it, just to add a little something different to my layouts.

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Have something new you’re going to try today? Tell me about it … I can add it to my list of things to try. Even if you don’t want to share, I encourage you to step out of the box. Add a little something new to your scrapbooking repertoire. You might surprise yourself and find your new favorite technique.


July layouts to cheer for

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Are you looking at your July kit from Crazy Daisy and just not sure where to start? No worries. Here’s a little inspiration from some of our Crazy Daisy ladies!

JJ Sobey:

Learning to Crawl

"Learning to Crawl" ... a layout by JJ Sobey

"Learning to Crawl" ... a layout by JJ Sobey

“Here’s another layout I made using the (now sold out) July kit from Crazy Daisy Kits. Just when you thought it was only good for ‘boy’ pages, here I go and do a ‘girl’ page. :)

I fell in love with the gorgeous crochet flower in the kit. So pretty! I added a tiny pearl to the centre, and a few pearl swirls to the edges. To ’soften’ the ticket, I added a little pearl to that, too.


A closeup of Jj

A closeup of JJ's layout

I kept trying to use that swirl edge Prima journaling sheet on my pages, and I just couldn’t make it work, but it was perfect for this girl page. It cut it in half length-wise, so I could use it top and bottom on the page. Otherwise, half of it would have been hidden in the layers.


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I added a few Prima flowers from my stash to this page, and a few more pearls. I love the look these give, and they mixed well with the buttons from the kit.”


Father

JJ's "Father" layout

JJ's "Father" layout

“The July kit came with a bingo card stamp from Prima. The packaging itself was a great shape, so after I stamped the image on the kraft cardstock (also in the kit), I traced and trimmed the card to the shape of the packaging. These wooden brads from Chatterbox are great for masculine pages. I hadn’t seen them before other than on-line, and I’m really happy with the quality.

A closeup of JJ's "Father" layout

A closeup of JJ's "Father" layout

Again with this layout, I used a lot of the Prima rub-ons for borders and little details. And I still have lots left. I can’t believe how much I’ve used. I added a little Prima owl pebble I had leftover from the June kit. It just seemed to work here.

A closeup of JJ's "Father" layout

A closeup of JJ's "Father" layout

I love the size of these Prima journaling sheets. I often find that journal spots are too small for what I want to say. These ones are so big, I have a lot of options. I can cut them to fit, use them as photo mats, or layer them with the other papers, and still have lots of room for my journaling.”


Kim Whitten:

Good Times

A layout by Kim Whitten using the July kit

A layout by Kim Whitten using the July kit


“This 11×8.5 is pretty self explanatory.  I used a strip of the JB star paper and distressed it with wrinkles and ink then laced it through one of the star conchos in the kit.  I also cut out one of the large stars from the Cosmo paper and added it behind the white chipboard star with some pop dots for a little dimension.  Added a rub on ink, ribbon and ric-rac with one of the wooden brads.


A closeup of a layout by Kim Whitten using the July kit

A closeup of a layout by Kim Whitten using the July kit

I liked the little cut off strip on the Cosmo paper so I left it on there so the “flip for fun” would still be visible…just thought it was a cute addition to the page. ”

Trace Geworsky:

Celebrate Zoo Time

"Celebrate Zoo Time" by Trace

"Celebrate Zoo Time" by Trace


“Here is my final project using this month’s Crazy Daisy kit, and I think this was my fave layout from this month.


I used the Jenni Bowlin journaling rubon with a white pen to make the journaling more obvious over the rubon itself. I used some of the other rubons to make some funky looking flowers, and added a button flower, and a metal buckle flower (after I threaded the celebrate sticker through it).



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Along the top edge of the layout, I also used another journaling rubon (because I ran out of journaling room along the bottom of my page) and added a brad and some rubon stars that I applied to scrap paper, trimmed the design out and then adhered to the cardstock.”


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